


Hi “That’s Who I Fell in Love With,” I’m Dad

by thehobbitfanatic



Category: Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator
Genre: Alcohol, Both Amanda and Val are mentioned, Cuddling, M/M, Mary makes a few appearances, Mat and Craig and Damien all make one appearance, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-08 06:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 18,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11641086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thehobbitfanatic/pseuds/thehobbitfanatic
Summary: It has been one year after Robert and Dadsona agree to be only friends as Robert betters himself. Amanda has gone off to college, leaving Dadsona alone in their cul-de-sac home. One night, Dadsona gets messages from Robert, asking--demanding--for them to hang out. Dadsona never in his wildest dreams expected what would then happen when he and Robert are together that night, nor did he know what the next day would hold in store for him.Dadsona has no name, and is referred to as Dadsona in the fic. If you'd like, feel free to replace "Dadsona" with the name of your dad.Thank you for reading, and enjoy!





	1. Chapter One

I close my eyes, and sink into the gentle oblivion that is my bed. After a long, draining day at work, it is an immense relief to let the stress roll off my shoulders, and let them be covered by my soft sheets instead. It is great to finally be home. But even though I am lying comfortably in bed, I know it will take me some time to quiet my mind of my worries and let myself fall asleep. I do my first set of tossing and turning in bed.

I cannot help but think about how quiet the house is. Even though she is in the middle of a semester at college, I always end up worrying about my daughter when my mind has the time to wander. I hug my pillow tighter, releasing a small sigh. I hope Amanda is safe. I hope she is doing well. I turn in my bed once more, and give myself a small smile. I can hear her deriding me, telling me not to worry so much, Dadtron, and to get some sleep. 

When in doubt, I must listen to the daughter’s voice in my head. So I try to get some sleep, for her sake.

Just as I drift off into dreaming about becoming a grilling champion, a familiar dinging noise echoes through my room. I groan, a blue light shining against my eyelids. I bury my face into my pillow, only to hear two more consecutive dings rattle through my sleep-deprived brain. I am going to have to check my messages on DadBook to make it stop, am I not? Another dinging sound confirms my thoughts. I sigh into the pillow, and slowly drag myself over the edge of my bed. Now lying on the floor, I sit up, rubbing my weary eyes.

My computer produces another ding, and I almost mistake it this time for a laugh. My heart sinks as I rise to my feet. I miss waking up to the sound of Amanda’s gentle laughter. I yawn as I drag my feet across the carpeted floor, and sit down at my desk. Squinting against the light, the time catches my eye. Who in their right mind would be messaging me at 2 o’clock in the morn….oh.

Robert.

I read through the string of messages he fired off his phone to me.

**dadsona**

**hey dadsona**

**put some pants on and get outside**

**you know** **i’ll honk**

**don’t test me**

I roll my eyes. He thinks I sleep without pants? I look down. Well…he would be right. I sigh. It is a good thing tomorrow is Saturday. I reply to his messages:

**Okay, give me a minute.**

Rummaging through my clothes, I pull on some pants, making sure to pocket my phone, keys, and wallet, and change shirts. As I ready myself, I think back to all of the previous late nights I have spent awake messaging and calling and helping out Robert. He said he was going to better himself, and I am so infinitely proud of him for keeping his promise.

After Amanda left for college, I was able to work more often, busying myself during the day, and I always came home exhausted. Often in the twilight hours of the night and beyond, Robert would message me, inviting me to come to his house or go out for a drive. I always made sure to take a nap during my break at work. Sometimes we would talk, and other times my presence was all the talking that Robert needed. Usually he would not elaborate on the reasons why he wanted to hang out, but occasionally he would let slip that he was feeling lonely, or that he was feeling more depressed than usual. 

There were only a few rare nights where I was unable to join him; otherwise, I was always there for him, both physically and emotionally. On the nights I could tell he was more quiet than usual, I made sure to fill the air with happy stories that usually ended up being about Amanda when she was a baby. I swiped his sunglasses right from his shirt and put them on when I told him about her sunglasses addiction as a child. A grin filled his face, and in turn, he would share small stories about his daughter Val. I could tell that he had the capacity to be a great dad, and I hope one day to help him realize that.

There were even some dreary nights where Robert would be quieter than usual. I had gotten to know his content quiet, his happy quiet, and his sad quiet. But this type of quiet resonated from somewhere deep, desolate, and resigned, devoid of any sparks of hope. I could not simply sit there and let him brood.

“Two peanuts were walking down the street,” I once said, interrupting the deep-seated silence.

Robert looked over at me, his eyebrows furrowed tightly together. He had been deep in thought. 

“One was a salted.”

I could tell that Robert was suppressing a smile. “How do you make holy water?” I went in for another joke.

Robert let out a sigh. “How?”

“You boil the hell out of it.”

He finally smiled, and put a hand on my shoulder. I smiled back, glad to have been able to lighten the mood. Dad jokes have yet to fail me.

I almost drop my phone when I jump at the sound of a car’s honk. It honks again, and I shake my head, smiling. He probably waited exactly a minute just so he could have an excuse to do that.

I leave my room and head out of my front door, locking it behind me. Robert is in the driver’s seat of his truck, calloused hand still poised over the horn.

“You comin’ or not, Dadsona?”

I smile, put my phone in my pocket, and walk over to his truck. “Where are we going?” I ask.

Robert simply gestures for me to get in the truck. I playfully hold my stance and cross my arms. He rolls his eyes and takes his hands off of the wheel.

“Don’t make me come out there.”

I can tell he is trying not to smile. So I get in the truck, moving a few stray papers off of the seat. He backs out of my driveway, and starts to head away from the cul-de-sac.

At the end of the road, Robert speaks once more. “I thought we’d go and do a bit of thinking together.”

I smile. “I’d say lead the way, but you already are. So, uh, keep doing that.”

Robert glances over at me and heartily laughs. “You got it, chief.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been one year after Robert and Dadsona agree to be only friends as Robert betters himself. Amanda has gone off to college, leaving Dadsona alone in their cul-de-sac home. One night, Dadsona gets messages from Robert, asking--demanding--for them to hang out. Dadsona never in his wildest dreams expected what would then happen when he and Robert are together that night, nor did he know what the next day would hold in store for him.
> 
> Dadsona has no name, and is referred to as Dadsona in the fic. If you'd like, feel free to replace "Dadsona" with the name of your dad.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

A Tom Waits song quietly wafts out of the radio in Robert’s truck as I gaze out of the passenger window and up into the deep sky. I wonder if Robert drives out to his thinking spot sometimes simply to look at the stars. They gleam back at me, filling me with a vast, indescribable feeling. I could understand why he would do that.

 I glance over at Robert as we continue down the road. His hands rest on the wheel nonchalantly, but his knuckles are whitened, and the skin is stretched taut. I chew on my lower lip. He seems nervous for some reason, and his eyes are distant, as if he is looking at something other than the road. He was pretty talkative when he picked me up; did I do something wrong? What happened, what changed? I wonder whether I should crack open my jar of jokes.

I shuffle mentally through a few jokes, trying to find the most appropriate one. As I start to open my mouth, Robert lets out a small sigh, and I quickly shut my jaw. Seriousness settles around me in the truck. This is not a time for joking around.

“Hey…” I say to get his attention. “Robert? Are you okay?”

He does not respond. All right, I guess he is not in the talking mood. I wait a few more moments, just in case. But when it is clear he does not want to talk, I nod my head, knowing that he is watching my reaction.

“No problem,” I say, “You can talk when you’re ready.”

Robert shifts his eyes to look back at the road. His heart is warmed, but he keeps his expression calm. He hates when Dadsona is like this, because it reminds him of when he fell in love with this man all over again. Damn, Dadsona is going to make it very difficult for him to keep his cool tonight.

He remembers back to all of the times he asked Dadsona to hang out in the middle of the night because he could not stand to be alone. It took him a few weeks after Amanda’s graduation party to build up the courage and the right amount of loneliness to get to the point of feeling that it was necessary for him to socialize. Dadsona was the first person—the only person—who came to mind.

After those first few messages, it felt natural to talk to Dadsona when Robert felt he needed the support. A smile threatens to show on Robert’s face. Dadsona, without a doubt, has always been there for him.

Sometimes Dadsona’s words still echo through his mind: _Robert. Listen to me. It’s gonna be okay._

Robert knows that it will be okay. He inwardly grins. When has Dadsona ever been wrong?

Yet, he cannot help but hate his feelings, because while Dadsona has his life together, Robert’s is in shambles. Sure, he is patching up the dents and bruises, but he still has a long way to go. What gives him the right to invade Dadsona’s perfect life? But somehow, Dadsona’s words always overcome this fear, and he finds himself messaging him once more when he needs the company.

Robert fiddles with the radio dial as he thinks back to one of their more recent midnight escapades. They were at his house sharing a bottle of whiskey, and he had let it slip that he thought Dadsona had moved on. It was embarrassing to say, but he knew Dadsona would know what he meant. It must be hard to watch such a mess try to reorganize himself.

Dadsona’s eyes met Robert’s eyes with a look of surprise, and when he laughed, Robert raised an eyebrow.

“Robert,” said Dadsona, “I live alone now and my daughter is in college. It’s great, and I’m so happy for her, and so proud.”

He paused, and Robert leaned in closer. He could smell a hint of the whiskey they were drinking on Dadsona’s breath.

“But I get lonely sometimes, too.” He paused again and took a drink of whiskey. “And…I’ve missed you.”

When Dadsona confided with Robert about his insecurities that night, Robert could hardly suppress his feelings. Dadsona made him feel so special, and in return he felt more protective of Dadsona than ever. But he could hardly believe that someone as great as Dadsona truly had insecurities. He must have just said it to make Robert feel better, right?

“Oh come on,” Robert had said, “You’re fantastic. I support you as much as you support me, and you have a daughter who loves you. You have nothing to be insecure about!”

A long pause dragged through Robert’s house as he waited for Dadsona to reply.

“Uh…” said Robert, uncomfortable for the first time with Dadsona’s silence.

“I heard you.”

Robert rolled his eyes.

“And I know you are, but what am I?”

A hearty laugh escaped Robert’s lips before he could stop it. He blushed. They ended up talking more extensively that night into the early hours of the day. It made Robert feel better knowing that even Dadsona has insecurities he cannot help but feel. But he feels them anyway, because they are part of who he is, and he nevertheless tries to overcome them.

Eventually we find ourselves atop Robert’s thinking spot, staring at the city lights of Maple Bay. We have been sitting here for a few minutes. I look at Robert out of the corner of my eye, wondering whether he plans to get out of the car or not. Robert snatches the bottle of whiskey he bought for the occasion, two glasses, and a blanket, and closes his truck door behind him.

I watch Robert walk to the back of his truck for a brief moment before I get out and join him. An uneasy worry about him settles in the back of my mind as we sit side-by-side. Robert tosses the blanket into the back of his truck, and cracks open his whiskey for us to enjoy. I take a glass when he offers it to me.

I take a sip, now familiar with the burn of whiskey going down my throat. I have probably spent too much time drinking with Robert. Though I must admit, compared to when we first met, there has been a gradual lessening of the amounts of drinks we have shared. I smile to myself, once again reminded of how proud I am of him.

We stare out at the city lights in silence. It is strange what a little distance can do to a person’s perspective. I look up at the stars. They twinkle back at me, commencing their nightly show of otherworldly elegance.

Robert must have seen me gazing at the sky, because after taking a sip of his whiskey, he places a hand on my arm, and uses the other to point vaguely at a spot in the sky. His hand is quivering; is he nervous?

“You see that constellation right there?”

I look over at him, and his eyes are serious. I look back up at the sky, and nod.

“I kid you not, that one’s a dick. There was this guy Jonathan Montelegro, and he was a famous astrologist going through a hard time in his life because he was coming to terms with identifying as gay.”

I stifle a laugh. Robert continues on, his voice stern.

“He looked up at the sky one night and saw this constellation. He said, I quote, ‘Fuck it, there’s a dick.’”

Robert glances over at me. I give him the best head nod I can muster, trying not to smile. With the arm that Robert is not touching, I point to a few stars that are nestled against the moon.

“I know some constellations too. There’s this one next to the moon,” I gesture once again with my hand, “You can’t miss it. It’s called ‘Bullshit City.’ I think it’s pretty cool.”

Robert’s grip on my arm tightens as he laughs, a smile spilling out onto his face. It is one of the softest smiles I have ever seen in my life. I cannot help but blush.

“But seriously, Robert,” I say once he has finished laughing at our antics, “You can’t pull this shit on me anymore. We’ve been friends for over a year now. I know you.”

Robert grins at me again, all traces of nervousness now gone. I relax, no longer worrying as much as I did when we first pulled in to his thinking spot.

“I’m glad you do, Dadsona.”

We stare back up at the sky together. I take another sip of my whiskey. Robert does the same.

“So,” I say after a while, “It’s strange to think about how much everything has changed since last year.”

Robert gruffly acknowledges my statement. We sit in silence for a few moments before he responds. “It must be strange to not have Amanda around.”

I slowly nod, astutely aware that Robert’s hand is still resting on my arm. I give him a nudge. “Well, it’s easier when I have someone to spend my time with.”

He looks at me sideways. I hope he knows I am talking about him.

“And you, uh…” Robert begins to say, but abruptly stops.

I wait half a beat before encouraging him. “It’s fine,” I say, “I like hearing your thoughts.”

An appreciative smile shows on his lips. “You…you know I’ve been working on cleaning up my act.”

I nod my head, and reply appropriately as we talk back and forth about some of the things he has accomplished. The moon shines brightly in the sky, and eventually we go quiet once more. I take another sip of my whiskey as a certain seriousness settles in the air.

“Robert…I’ll always be here for you. You know that, right?”

“I…yeah.”

Another long pause consumes the conversation.

“…Dadsona?” asks Robert quietly.

“What’s up?”

“Do you remember at Amanda’s party when we…talked about…maybe starting something in the future…?”

I look over at Robert. He was already looking at me, and when our eyes meet, he evades my gaze and takes his hand off of my arm. It was when we agreed to be friends, and maybe one day start something romantic. I can feel my heart pound in my chest.

“I remember,” I respond.

Robert coughs. “Just…just checking. You know, making sure.”

I cock an eyebrow.

“Wanted to make sure you weren’t replaced by some cryptid who was trying to get into my mind.”

I smile, and pat his back. If he does not want to talk about what he brought up anymore, then that is okay. But my heart still pounds at the mention of our conversation at Amanda’s graduation party.

I wonder if he has given serious thought to what we talked about. I wonder if he wants to give us a shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading chapter two. I hope you enjoyed it, and come back soon for chapter three!


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been one year after Robert and Dadsona agree to be only friends as Robert betters himself. Amanda has gone off to college, leaving Dadsona alone in their cul-de-sac home. One night, Dadsona gets messages from Robert, asking--demanding--for them to hang out. Dadsona never in his wildest dreams expected what would then happen when he and Robert are together that night, nor did he know what the next day would hold in store for him.
> 
> Dadsona has no name, and is referred to as Dadsona in the fic. If you'd like, feel free to replace "Dadsona" with the name of your dad.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

I thank Robert, and take my second glass of whiskey from his hands. He pours himself a second glass as well, and then disappears for a moment to put the bottle back in his car. I take a small sip, and adjust my sitting position. We have been out here for an hour now—maybe more. I wonder whether we will be going back to our houses afterward, or if he has another event planned for the next portion of the night.

When Robert returns, he reaches into the back of his truck and pulls forward the blanket he brought. He feels the soft fabric for a moment with his roughened hands before unraveling it.

He glances over at me. “You cold?” he asks.

“Uh…” I stall for a minute, because I forgot to bring my jacket and it is actually kind of chilly outside. But would I admit that aloud to Robert? Not unless it was forced out of me.

Robert does not wait for me to respond. He tosses the blanket over both of us. I look down at the plush material, and blush. It is not big enough for two people unless they are sitting in close quarters. I panic for half a moment before Robert takes the initiative. Glass of whiskey in hand, he moves to sit right next to me, and then places the glass down next to him.

I look away when Robert peeks over at me. I do not want him to see how reddened my face is right now. I feel him tugging at his side of the blanket, and I have to tuck a corner of it under my leg so that he does not take it all away from me.

I suddenly turn towards Robert. He is in the middle of taking a sip, but he shifts his gaze towards me when he feels my eyes on him. “So, when you said…” I say slowly.

I have to take a deep breath before continuing. Wow, is this blanket thickly knit or did the night air just get a lot hotter? My hands shake, but I feel the need to do this. I need to know. 

I snake an arm around Robert’s waist. “You mentioned when we talked at Amand—“

I cut myself off when I feel Robert’s body shake. I freeze, unsure of what to do. Oh no, maybe I should not have brought it up again. Maybe I asked too soon, maybe I should not have tried to hold him. Maybe—

I quiet my mind. Robert needs to be my focus. “Are you okay…?” I take my arm away.

It is only when he is calm once more that I realize he had been wracked with laughter. My eyes go wide. Wait, is he…?

Robert turns to me swiftly, and I reflexively lean away. We are so close that I can smell the alcohol on his breath. My eyes flutter down to look at his lips, but I force myself to look back up into his eyes.

His eyes are stern, and my breath hitches in my throat when he puts a hand on my knee. “You can never tell a soul,” he says, our eyes locked in an intense gaze.

I almost forget to respond. A full minute passes of us staring at each other before I smile at him playfully. 

Robert narrows his eyes. “Dadsona,” he warns, “Don’t.”

I grin. I cannot help it. I have to. Knowing that Robert is ticklish is priceless. I will not tell anyone, but I have to tickle him at least once.

It seems that he knew what my actions were going to be, because he moves his glass of whiskey out of the way just in time for me to lunge at him, fingers tickling his sides. His sunglasses fall out of his shirt and into the back of his truck as we tip over, landing in his truck’s bed in fits of smiles and laughter.

“D-dadsona, please!”

I am too in love with Robert’s laughter to stop.

“I swear, Dadsona…!”

Robert’s smile is full of unadulterated happiness. He giggles helplessly.

I finally retract my hands and let Robert catch his breath. We lay on the bed of his truck, bodies inclined towards each other. His breathing slowly evens out.

“I’m going to kill you, Dadsona,” he whispers.

I give him a sweet smile before sitting up. Robert props himself up on his elbow to glare at me, and then joins me. I wrap the blanket around us once more, and nudge him playfully.

“You’re such a nerd, Robert,” I say.

Robert’s eyes snap towards my face. His eyes never leave mine as he grabs his glass of whiskey, and then downs the shot in one go, challenging me to say it to him again.

It is a challenge I cannot help but accept. We continue to lock eyes.

I do my best Robert impersonation, lowering my voice and roughing it at the edges. “Hurr durr, I’m Robert.”

He rolls his eyes at me, but the tiniest smile emerges on his face.

“To other people, I’m a brooding badass who is tough and mysterious, when I’m really a giant dweeb who thinks Mothman is bullshit.”

Robert’s shakes his head at me to indicate displeasure, but his laugh is genuine. The atmosphere is warm, and I feel completely at ease sitting this close to him.

“Dadsona,” Robert says, “I’ve explained it to you before. You know Mothman really is bullshit.”

I smile and nod, letting Robert go off on another explanation about his cryptids. It is not very often anymore that this happens. When it does, however, and I have heard the rant before, I know how to tune most of it out, for both of our sakes. Thankfully it does not last very long this time. When he finishes and looks back over at me, I smile, as if to say ‘okay, sweetie.’

I take a drink of my whiskey as we settle into a calm quiet once more. When I place down my glass, I feel something around my waist. I look down to see Robert’s hand gently resting on my hip—his arm now around me—and I look over at him, surprised. He is looking away from me as best he can, but I can still see a hint of pink on his cheeks.

I smile, and gently rest my head against his shoulder. He does not protest.

I look back up at the sky. For some reason, my mind thinks back to a particular night this past year where Robert had been extremely quiet. We ended up getting into a pretty heated argument.

My smile falls from my face. I still remember his words.

His eyes blazed with a fire that I had never seen before. He was very angry. “Fuck…fuck you and your perfect life.”

I was already left speechless.

“You’re hot. You’re successful. You have a daughter who loves you, and talks to you every week. I’ll just bring you down. I don’t want to keep you from living your dreams.”

I remained quiet, unable to say anything. I had not wanted to, anyways. As much as I knew he was speaking out of anger and frustration, his words still hurt. They sting, even thinking back on them now.

A long moment of silence had dragged on. Robert seemed to have gotten the entire outburst from his system. I could not bring myself to look at him, but I could feel waves of regret radiating from him.

“Dadsona, I—“

I hushed Robert. Silence reigned king. I let both of us think for a few long moments. I was not exactly sure what to say.

But I did know what to do.

I finally looked at Robert, whose eyes had never left my face. I could see the turmoil in them as he opened his mouth to speak but immediately closed it, heeding how I shushed him. My heart ached.

I kissed him.

Apologies spilled from his mouth immediately when we parted, his lips still inches away from mine.

“It’s okay, Robert,” I said, “It’s okay.”

“I’m so sorry, Dadsona, I—“

“I get it. It’s all right. I understand.”

I held his hands tightly in my own. He finally began to relax. We backed away from each other.

I smiled at him. “Anyway, you’re here with me, so this is better than any dream I could ever sleep of at night.”

Robert released a single laugh. He rolled his eyes. “You idiot,” he said, and I knew this time he meant his words endearingly.

That was the first time since Amanda left for college that I did not feel lonely. I nestle myself closer to Robert, and he adjusts his grip on my hip.

“Uh, Dadsona…?” Robert says, interrupting the ambient sounds of the night.

“Hmm?”

I feel him heave in a deep breath. “About what I was a…what I brought up earlier. And…what you tried to bring up.”

I raise my head off his shoulder so I can look at him. My heart is giddy, and I am acutely aware once more of his hand on my hip.

“Well, you know…you know that I’m not perfect.”

I straighten my posture, realizing how serious Robert is. He glances over at me, blushes, and looks back up at the stars.

“But you know I’m healing. I need to do this for myself. For Val. For…”

He looks back over at me, but still avoids direct eye contact. His cheeks are red.

“For you.”

I smile at him encouragingly. He looks really nervous.

“Thinking back on what we talked about, I thought maybe…that uh…”

I can tell he is struggling. I open my mouth to help him out, but he continues rambling on full steam ahead.

“That you know, maybe now could be a good time for us to possibly…”

Oh man. “Robert…” I say, but he does not hear me.

He takes a deep breath. “I’d like to give us a try. Romantically.”

There is the confident Robert I know. I can see him peeking at me.

“I’d like that, too,” I say with a smile.

He finally turns and looks at me fully. I can tell that he is trying to keep his cool. My smile turns into a grin. “Like I’ve said, you don’t have to be mysterious all of the time, Robert,” I tease.

He scoffs, and his grip on me tightens. “I gotta stay in the business, buddy.”

I raise an eyebrow. “And why’s that?”

“If I’m not mysterious, they start to catch on. They’ll come out of the forests—the deepest parts where the sun don’t shine anymore—and into the cul-de-sac, red eyes gleaming, looking house to house for me. One day I’ll be there, and the next I’ll be gone.”

Our eyes meet, and we laugh. I can feel his breath on my cheek. My heart skips a beat. I lean closer. Robert gives me a blissful, toothy smile.

Our lips touch gently, and we kiss under the stars.


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been one year after Robert and Dadsona agree to be only friends as Robert betters himself. Amanda has gone off to college, leaving Dadsona alone in their cul-de-sac home. One night, Dadsona gets messages from Robert, asking--demanding--for them to hang out. Dadsona never in his wildest dreams expected what would then happen when he and Robert are together that night, nor did he know what the next day would hold in store for him.
> 
> Dadsona has no name, and is referred to as Dadsona in the fic. If you'd like, feel free to replace "Dadsona" with the name of your dad.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

I gasp in a breath of air as Robert and I abruptly stop kissing. He looks at me with wild eyes.

“Shit, Dadsona…” he says, and I hush him before he has a chance to apologize.

I lick my bottom lip and the tang of blood floods my mouth. He really bit down hard that time. Robert hops off the bed of his truck before I can stop him, and goes into his car to rummage for his first aid kit.

Why do I always end up bleeding when we come to his thinking spot?

I sigh, wincing as I lick the wound again and it starts to sting. Robert quickly returns, sitting back down next to me, and gestures for me to lean forward. I oblige. He takes out a small tube of antiseptic, and then gently tilts my head.

I blush when he uses his thumb to softly part my lips. He applies antiseptic to the areas of the bite wound that he can, and then lets go of my chin. He offers me the tube, but I decline. I still have the one from the first time he brought me out here.

He leaves to quickly put the kit away. I shiver as a chilly breeze blows straight through me, and pull Robert’s blanket closer. He returns after another moment, and joins me under the blanket.

“Sorry,” he says, even though I already told him not to apologize. “I…yeah.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I say, offering him a smile. “I don’t mind at all.”

Robert grins at me, but it drops from his face when he sees me shivering. “It’s getting cold out, huh?”

I immediately protest. “It’s fine! I’m uh, making sure my muscles are warm just in case we have to fight off the Dover Ghost.”

His smile returns. “Maybe we should head back,” he says. “That okay?”

I nod. Robert retrieves his sunglasses, tucking them back onto his shirt, and I take hold of both of our empty glasses. I start to hand him the blanket, but he shakes his head.

“Keep it for now, Dadsona.”

He starts to walk back to the driver’s seat before I can respond. I shrug the blanket over my shoulder and head to the passenger’s door, joining Robert inside the truck. I hand him the glasses so that he can store them away safely. When everything is packed away and Robert makes sure that I have the blanket wrapped around me to stay warm, we back out of his thinking spot and head towards Maple Bay.

I sigh as Robert drives onto the highway. It is always nice to go back to my quaint house after a long day, but for once, I do not want this night to end. I gaze out the window, lost in thought. I think about tonight and its events, and what this means for the future.

Robert glances over at me, but I do not notice. He looks back towards the road, and we drive in silence, both consumed by our thoughts.

Eventually we reach the familiar road that leads back into the cul-de-sac. I drag my eyes away from the side window and, after casting a sideways look at Robert to make sure he is doing okay, look out the front windshield. I go to chew on my lower lip but stop myself just in time, remembering that I have to try not to agitate my new…bite mark. From Robert. I have to bite down on the other side of my bottom lip to stop myself from smiling.

When Robert pulls into his driveway, I give him another side-glance. Usually, he drops me off in front of my house first before driving the extra ten seconds to his driveway. It is different than what he usually does, but I do not question it. Maybe he just wanted to save the time…?

“Thanks for the night,” I say, “I had fun.”

As I reach for the door, Robert looks at me strangely. I pause.

“Um,” he says. I take my hand off the car door. “Do you want to stay the night?”

I am silent for a moment, thinking over the proposition. For one thing, it means that I will not have to wake up alone. And neither will Robert. I mentally make sure everything in my house is turned off and that everything will be okay for the night. If something drastically goes wrong, I will probably be nearby enough to hear it, anyway.

“Sure, Robert. I’d like that.”

We exit the truck. Robert snags the bottle of whiskey and glasses to bring inside, and I still carry the blanket. He fiddles with his keys for a moment, and then unlocks his front door. He lets me step into his house, and then he closes the door behind us. Robert flicks the lights on.

I am met with a pleasant surprise. Robert places the two glasses and the nearly empty whiskey bottle on the table situated between his two couches. I gaze around at the room in wonder.

His previously well-stocked bar is now nearly empty, save a few different bottles of whiskey and wine. The floor is clean, free of stray clothing and miscellaneous items; only a few dog toys lay around. His house looks…really nice. Robert notices me staring.

“Is there a problem?” he asks.

I shake my head. “No,” I say. “It’s…it’s just your house.”

He raises an eyebrow at me. “What about it?”

“It’s…cleaner. It looks good.”

He gestures for me to give him the blanket I brought in. I hand it to him, and he tosses it onto one of the couches. He turns back to me. “Thanks…?”

I take one of his hands in my own. “It’s a good thing, Robert. I’m…happy for you.”

He smiles at me. The skittering of claws echoes through the house, and Robert suddenly kneels down just in time for Betsy to barrel into his arms. She licks at his face, and he laughs. I kneel down next to him, and Betsy lets me pat her.

“Atta girl, Betsy,” praises Robert.

We give her a few more pats and some belly rubs before she wanders back towards Robert’s room, pleased with the attention we gave her. Robert and I rise to our feet. He checks to make sure she has enough food and water for the night. Satisfied, he joins me once more by his couches.

He gestures towards the couch he threw the blanket onto, so I take a seat. He follows suit, sitting right next to me. Leaning forward, he deposits his phone and keys onto the table. He then grabs his bottle of whiskey and a glass.

He glances at me before starting to pour. “You wanna share the last of it?” he asks.

“No, thanks. I should probably give this bite a few days to heal first.”

Robert drains the bottle into the single glass. He grins at the mention of his bite. He may have been sorry when it first happened, but now he seems almost…proud of it. I resist the urge to run my tongue over the bite. Robert leaves for a moment to put the empty bottle and spare glass in his kitchen.

I place my phone next to Robert’s so that there are fewer items in my pockets to deal with, and then I look around the room once more. I do not think it has ever been so tidy while I have visited in the past. My heart swells with joy. I smile to myself at the thought of coming over more often now that our relationship is evolving.

Robert returns and sees me smiling like an idiot. I try to pass it off as looking at one of his DVDs. I do not think he believes me. But he does not do anything but smile at me and sit back down on the couch.

He sidles up to me and lays his blanket across us. Our eyes meet and I smile again. I stifle a yawn before wrapping my arm around his shoulders. Robert takes a moment to shuck his leather jacket off, and then comfortably repositions my arm.

“You tired?” he questions. It seems he caught me yawning.

I shrug nonchalantly. “A little, I guess,” I respond.

Robert rolls his eyes. He takes a sip of his whiskey before nudging me. “Feel free to lay down.”

“Oh! Uh, I mean, thanks, but I’m okay.”

I yawn again. Robert cocks an eyebrow at me. Okay. I suppose lying down does not sound like such a bad idea.

I recline on Robert’s couch, and am surprised when he joins me. He wraps one arm around me, keeping the other free so that he can still reach his glass of whiskey. A small smile graces my face, and I wrap an arm around him in return.

I blush when Robert nuzzles his head against me. This man is going to be the death of me.

I close my eyes, and let myself lose track of the time. Occasionally I feel Robert reach over to take a drink of his whiskey. At one point I press a kiss against his forehead, and he scoffs. I smile and open my eyes to find him glaring at me. He shakes his head and I laugh. Okay, so maybe he is not a forehead-kissing type of person.

He smiles at the sound of my laughter, and we share a small kiss. The taste of whiskey burns my lips, but I do not care. He nibbles gently on my lower lip, and then kisses me again. I pull him closer.

Sighing happily, I close my eyes once more. Robert rests his head against me. I would have never guessed him to be a man who enjoys cuddling.

I drift in and out of sleep as Robert holds me. The only way I know that time is passing is by looking at how much whiskey is left in Robert’s glass. I feel bad for needing to catch some sleep, but he does not seem to mind.

My ringtone blasts through the silence, and I groan, my eyes automatically opening. Though I do not want to disturb the comfortable positioning Robert and I are currently in, it may be Amanda who is calling. I reach over to grab my phone, but Robert picks it up before my hand makes contact with the phone.

Robert is propped up on his elbow. He gives me a questioning look before answering the call. Does he…think it was his phone that was ringing?

I distinctly recognize Amanda’s voice emitting from the phone’s speaker. She starts to talk before Robert can even say hello.

“Dad!” I can hear the excitement in her voice. I smile. “I know it’s late but my college brought a food truck onto campus and right now, I swear, I’m having the best burrito!”

Robert looks me dead in the eyes. Oh no. With one simple look, I know what he is going to do. I only hope that Amanda will forgive me for letting this happen.

Robert does a terrible, high-pitched impersonation of my voice. I hold back laughter. “Hi, I’m having the best burrito,” he says, “I’m dad.”

There is silence on the other end of the line for a long moment. “Oh, um…” I can tell she is embarrassed. “Is that you, Mr. Small…?”

Laughter bubbles from my mouth; I cannot hold it in. Robert grins at me, a sly look in his eyes.

“You’re killin’ me, Small,” I quip.

Robert laughs. He raises the phone with the intention of talking once more in his impersonation. Endeavoring to stop him, I kiss him.

And in a cheeky attempt to make sure he does not break away and mimic me terribly anyway, I gently bite his bottom lip. A deep growl rumbles in his chest.

It is only when I hear Amanda screaming that I break away from Robert.

“Oh my god, dad!” yells Amanda, “Not over the phone!”

Robert and I laugh. Amanda’s eye roll is almost audible.

“I’m going to hang up now and, uh, make out with this burrito, I guess. I’m grossed out.”

Robert and I make eye contact. Amanda realizes her mistake a moment too late.

“Hi grossed out, we’re dad!” we say in unison into my cell phone’s receiver.

“Ugh.” Amanda hangs up. Robert and I laugh, cuddling closer together.

He suddenly offers the phone to me. “Want to call her back?”

My heart immediately tells me to say yes, but I try to resist the urge. I take a deep breath. Instead of giving in to my dad impulses, I am going to talk it out of my system.

“I’m here with you right now,” I say. “Amanda’s having a burrito. She’ll be okay.”

I pause.

“Even though…it’s really late—or would it be considered early now—at night and she should be sleeping because she’s in college. Given, it is a weekend, but she should still make sure to get enough sleep. I also hope H.I.A. has enough lights that come on during the night. Maybe—“

“Dadsona?” Robert stops me from rambling even more. “I agree. She’ll be okay.”

The confidence in his words helps calm my anxious nerves. I look into his eyes. He puts my phone back on the table, and with his other arm still wrapped around me, rubs my shoulder reassuringly.

“Right,” I say, “she’s fine.”

Robert gives me a gentle smile, and a kiss. I kiss him back and melt into his arms.

“I…needed that,” I say once we have parted. I move a stray strand of hair out of Robert’s face before continuing. “Thanks, dear.”

Robert scoffs. “Ha! Good one, Mr. Perfect.”

I roll my eyes. I have never heard that one before. “I’m glad you liked it, honey.”

He holds back a laugh. “I think you might just be too good for me.”

“Babe, that’ll never be true.”

Robert looks at me playfully. “It could be, bitch.”

I let a single laugh escape before stifling the rest of my giggles. “It’s not possible, darling.”

Robert gives me a provocative look. “Whatever you say, darling,” he replies huskily, emphasizing the nickname.

I am not sure whether I should laugh or blush, but I can only do so much to keep myself from doing both. “O-okay, sweetheart,” I manage.

I end up laughing to myself at the next nickname I think up. Robert gives me a quizzical look. I smile devilishly.

“You’re just so cute, my little Mothman.”

Robert’s face almost automatically settles into a scowl. He looks at me with serious eyes.

“You take that back,” he says quietly.

I roll my eyes. He knows I am kidding. I gently rub his back with my free hand. His expression softens, and he leans in to kiss me. I meet him halfway.

Robert sighs when we separate, and rests his head against me once more. I hold him close as he goes quiet. After a few seconds of silence, I can tell that his mood has dipped, but I do not want to pry too quickly. It is only after a somber minute that he speaks quietly again.

“…Everything I’m not.”

Any humor that was still in the air dissipates. I sit up, forcing Robert to do the same. I need him to know that my next actions and words are serious, and that I mean them wholeheartedly.

I pull him into a hug, gripping his shirt tightly. We remain clasped together for a long few moments. We eventually release each other, but I still hold him close. My heart aches to see him hurt.

I lean in and kiss him deeply, and he sighs happily. I pull away slightly, until our lips are barely touching.“You’re wrong, Robert,” I say.

He sighs again, this one deeper and forlorn. He backs his face away from mine. His eyes are sad. 

“I would never want you to be like me. I would never want you to be anyone but yourself, because that’s…” I take a deep breath. “That’s who I fell in love with.”

His face slowly turns red.

It is silent for a very long time. I listen to his breathing. For the first time in a very long time, I am unable to tell what he is feeling.

Robert reaches over and takes his glass of whiskey in hand. He downs the rest of it, quickly puts the glass back on the table, and then kisses me. With no time to react, the kiss surprises me, but I immediately ease into his embrace. I ignore the burn of the whiskey on my bite. I can feel him smiling into the kiss.

He breaks the kiss, and gazes into my eyes. I recognize a multitude of his emotions I have gotten to know swirling in his eyes.

“I…I love you too, Dadsona.”

It is all I have ever wanted to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading this fic! I will seriously consider writing a continuation if there is enough interest!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been one year after Robert and Dadsona agree to be only friends as Robert betters himself. Amanda has gone off to college, leaving Dadsona alone in their cul-de-sac home. One night, Dadsona gets messages from Robert, asking--demanding--for them to hang out. Dadsona never in his wildest dreams expected what would then happen when he and Robert are together that night, nor did he know what the next day would hold in store for him. 
> 
> Dadsona has no name, and is referred to as Dadsona in the fic. If you'd like, feel free to replace "Dadsona" with the name of your dad.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I've decided to write a bit of a next day continuation of Robert and Dadsona's story! I told myself that I was going to end the story after the fourth chapter, but obviously, my mind (and my writing muse who had me itching to keep writing the entire day that the fourth chapter was posted) had other ideas. Thus, there is going to be five more chapters (for a total of nine chapters for the entire fic). 
> 
> I hope you enjoy these chapters as much as you enjoyed the first four! Thanks for your continued reading and support. C:

I squint my eyes against the light streaming through the window in my room. It is morning already…? It feels like I just fell asleep. I blink a few times, and sleepily open my eyes. They are met with rows of DVDs neatly organized on shelves, and an unfamiliar color of wall paint behind them. It takes a moment for my mind to process the fact that I am not at my house. Oh god, where am I? And why is the blanket I have so heavy?

I look down, and suddenly am flooded by the contents of last night. Robert is curled up against me; we are at his house. It seems that at some ungodly hour of the night we finally ended up falling asleep on his couch. And it looks like Robert is still sleeping. I smile, and gently ruffle his already disheveled hair.

He looks so…gentle. Peaceful. Content.

My heart swells. It is too early in the morning, and I have not been awake long enough, to get emotional, but I get choked up anyway. Seeing Robert so vulnerable like this awakens a new protective part of me, one that is different yet similar to the part I have for Amanda. I rest my hand on his head for a moment. I hope that I can help him become his best self, so that he can always be this tranquil. He deserves it.

I close my eyes once more. Robert is slumbering, and I surely do not want to wake him by attempting to get up. I am not sure if I will be able to fall back asleep, but I can at least rest my eyes some more.

The silence in his house is comfortable, and familiar. I have slept over once before, and though our relationship is similar now to what it had been, there is a certain intimateness present this morning that was only beginning to bud in the past.

It is only after what feels like an hour of lying and occasionally listening to the sounds of Betsy wandering around the house do I feel Robert stirring. I am able to feel when he hoists himself onto his elbow by the movements of the couch, and I am completely conscious of when he looks at me.

I breathe slowly. His eyes eventually leave my face, and Robert once again surprises me. I could have sworn that he was going to wake me. Yet…he decided to not disturb me. I smile inwardly. He must think that I am still asleep. After a long pause, I feel him lay back down.

I have to bite the inside of my mouth when his breath tickles my collarbone. His lips brush my neck, and when he gently plants a kiss, I cannot help but smile. I open my eyes.

Our gazes meet, and Robert’s face tints an embarrassed pink.

“D-Dadsona,” he stutters, “I didn’t know you…uh, you were awake?”

I kiss his forehead, give him a gentle smile, and nod. My smile grows when he grumbles at the kiss.

He lies his head down next to mine. We lay like this for a few minutes, soaking in the morning sunlight and listening to intricate symphonies composed by the birds outside. I occasionally glance over at Robert and watch him for a few moments before looking away. His expression is soft and sleepy, and I can tell he is still trying to wake himself up in preparation for the rest of the day.

We eventually decide to detangle ourselves from each other. Now sitting on the couch, I note that Robert’s empty glass is still on the table. We must have fallen asleep before he even had the chance to put it in his kitchen with the other glass. Robert notices my gaze, and picks up the glass. “One minute,” he says, and walks into his kitchen.

I blink the sleepiness out of my eyes, and get up to briefly stretch. A small sigh escapes my lips. It is not very often that I am with Robert in the morning. I will probably have to go back to my house soon.

I gingerly pick up Robert’s blanket, which is still strewn across the couch, and begin to fold it. Admittedly, I am kind of surprised that we only cuddled last night, given what happened that one time a year ago when Robert and I had our heart-to-heart conversation. I was floating on clouds when he kissed me, but I had to stop myself and make sure he was okay. I never thought he was going to be open to having such a conversation, but as I eased what was on his mind out of him, it ended up happening anyway.

Regardless, I do not mind that we simply spent the night enjoying each other’s presence. I grin. Perhaps Robert is showing me more of his soft side.

I am able to wipe the smile from my face before Robert returns, so to not have a repeat of when I looked like a smiling idiot last night. I place the folded blanket back on the couch as Robert walks into the room and back over to the couch.

“How’d you sleep?” I casually ask.

He smiles at me. “Comfortably,” he says, and pauses for half a beat. “Better than I have in a long time, actually.”

I smile back. We stand in silence for a few minutes, looking around at different parts of his house. “Well,” I say, “I should probably head back home soon, huh?”

Robert does not respond until a handful of seconds later. “I won’t kick you out,” he says. “But if you want to leave, that’s okay.”

I slowly nod my head. The sunlight seeping in through the window wanes as a cloud covers the sky. I study Robert’s face.

He suddenly looks at me once more; I blush, caught staring at him.

“Do you, uh,” he says, fidgeting with the sleeve of his red shirt. “Want to go have a late breakfast in a bit? I know a diner nearby.”

My eyes widen, and I glance outside the window, realizing how late in the morning it is. “Shit,” I whisper, and frantically feel my pockets for my phone. Robert gives me a strange look as I nearly dive onto his table to grab my cell phone. I begin typing out an email as fast as I can, apologizing to my boss that I am going to be late for—

“Dadsona, it’s Saturday.”

My fingers freeze. I delete the draft of my email. “Fuck.” Now I am really embarrassed. “I knew that.”

Robert grins. “’Course.”

I pocket my phone. “Um,” I stutter, thinking back to Robert’s proposition. “Sure,” I finally say, and smile. Good one, Dadtron. Smooth recovery. “I’d like that a lot.”

“All right. You wanna head out and meet up with me again soon?”

I check my pockets once more to make sure I am not forgetting anything. “Okay, Rob.”

He gives me a serious look, but his eyes glint playfully. “Don’t call me that,” he says.

My smile grows, and I cheekily walk up to him. “Whatever you say, my little Mothman.”

Robert groans, and I laugh.

“Dadsona! What did I say last night?”

I give him a look doused in honey. “Last night? You said you loved me.”

He scoffs and averts his eyes. “I wasn’t asking…you know I meant…forget it.”

I cannot help but laugh again. He is really cute when flustered. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I’ll see you soon.” 

Robert finally gives me small smile. He leans toward me and we kiss for a long moment. With a wave of my hand to say goodbye, I exit Robert’s house and head back towards mine.


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been one year after Robert and Dadsona agree to be only friends as Robert betters himself. Amanda has gone off to college, leaving Dadsona alone in their cul-de-sac home. One night, Dadsona gets messages from Robert, asking--demanding--for them to hang out. Dadsona never in his wildest dreams expected what would then happen when he and Robert are together that night, nor did he know what the next day would hold in store for him.
> 
> Dadsona has no name, and is referred to as Dadsona in the fic. If you'd like, feel free to replace "Dadsona" with the name of your dad.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

I wrap my arms around myself as the cool morning air kisses my flushed skin. Though I may regret forgetting my jacket, I only regret it partly. It led to some great memories last night, including finding out that Robert is ticklish, which perhaps would not have happened had I brought it.

I stifle a yawn, and look around the cul-de-sac. I see Craig ushering his twins into his car—assumedly for softball practice—and Mat is walking in the direction of the Coffee Spoon. He looks over my way and, spotting me, waves. I wave back, and continue on towards my home.

As I pass Joseph and Mary’s house, I find myself confronted on the sidewalk. Mary stands in front of me, arms crossed, with a curious, brazen look on her face. Uh oh.

But…her eyes are tired. I cannot help but wonder why it seems that way.

“Hey sailor,” she says, “What are you doing out so early? I don’t usually see you out and about ‘till the afternoon on weekends.” 

“Oh, uh, hi Mary,” I stutter out, bidding for time to come up with an excuse. “Just ah…you know…walking to my house…”

Mary grins at me. “And coming out of Rob’s house, no less?”

Shit. “Um…” I guess I do not really have a good excuse to offer her. I take a deep breath. I hope Robert does not mind me telling Mary that I stayed over. “I…yeah. I stayed the night at his house.”

She raises an eyebrow suggestively and smiles. She must have seen my nervous reaction because she gently laughs. “I’m just kidding, Dadsona, jeez.” 

“R-right.” I avert my eyes, and study a pothole in the road of our cul-de-sac.

“Hey Dadsona, can I hit you with some serious talk for a second?”

Her words catch my attention. I look back over at her. “…sure,” I say.

“Rob’s been a lot better lately, as I’m sure you know.” Her face is sincere. “I just wanted to say thanks.”

I give Mary a smile. “It’s no problem. You don’t have to—“

“If something happens and you make him step out of line, just remember that I know where to find you.”

Well, there is the Mary that I know. The smile slowly drains from my face. Her eyes are locked onto mine. I nod my head.

She flashes me another smile. “Well, see you later at Jim & Kim’s, maybe?”

I tentatively smile back. “See you soon, Mary.”

She turns on her heel and heads back towards her yard. “Stay sleazy, Dadsona,” she says, throwing up a hand to wave back at me.

We part ways, and I arrive back at my house. I rummage through my pockets for my keys, and, opening the door, step back into my house and flick the lights on. Home, sweet home.

I deposit my phone, wallet, and keys onto the living room table, thinking about what I should accomplish first from my list of things to do before I go out once more with Robert. A shower sounds really nice. So I head to the bathroom to take a quick shower, and then to my room to grab a fresh change of clothes.

As I pull on a new shirt, my head starts to ache as I feel the slightest of hangovers take hold. I make my way to the kitchen and search around until I find a jar of pickle juice. I take a deep breath. I really wish Amanda had not told me about this; I know I will still be able to taste pickles a few hours from now. 

But in an attempt to make sure I will not have a headache while I hang out with Robert, I squeeze my eyes closed and down some of the horrid liquid. Ugh. I grimace and put the jar away.

Having finished that, I continue my routine and get ready for the day. I check my computer, make sure the house is in order, and do the rest of my dad morning duties.

After retrieving my wallet, keys, and phone from where I placed them, I make sure this time to grab a jacket before heading over to my computer to message Robert. It was only until I got to my house that I realized we never decided at what time we were going to meet up and go to the diner.

As I pose my fingers on the keyboard, ready to type out a message, a loud engine revs nearby in the cul-de-sac. I am momentarily distracted by the sound. I listen as the noise grows closer to my house. Switching my monitor off for a moment, I leave my room, and then step outside to see what is causing the commotion.

I peek out my door just in time to see Robert pull up to my house on his motorcycle. He gets off the bike, and I can feel my cheeks heat up at the sight of his attire: a form-fitting leather jacket, a pair of good-looking jeans, and a black helmet.

Robert takes the helmet off, tossing his head to the side to get his bangs out of his face. “You ready to ride?” he asks.

My cheeks flush even more. “I ah…I don’t know…”

I study the ground for a moment, pretending that I am thinking, and then I look back up at Robert. “I just haven’t ridden a motorcycle in a um…very, very long time.”

Robert leans on his motorcycle. “Which means you’ve never been on one before, right?”

I will not admit it. He takes my silence and my embarrassed expression as his answer, and tosses a spare helmet at me. I barely catch it in time.

Robert gives me a dazzling smile. I do not think I have ever seen him this excited before. My chest tenses and I can barely hold in the fondness that I feel for him.

“Got a ‘lil bit more wild in ya, Dadsona?”

I take a deep breath. My grip on the helmet tightens. “Hell yeah,” I say.

I walk to my door for a moment to lock it, and then head back over to Robert. He gets on his motorcycle and pats the half of the seat behind him. I steady my shaky hands and join him on the bike. I put on the helmet as Robert does the same.

“You ready, Dadsona?” he asks.

“Uh…h-hell yeah…”

He chuckles, and glances back at me. “Hold on tight, chief.”

I wrap my arms around Robert as he revs the engine. Suddenly we lurch forward, and he takes off towards the diner. My grip around him tightens tenfold, and I press myself closer to him for safety. He laughs, but I am too nervous to loosen my grip.

Trees and buildings blur past me as Robert leaves the cul-de-sac. The wind tugs fiercely on my jacket. I realize too late that I should have zipped it up all the way, but there is nothing that I can do about it now. I unabashedly tightly hold onto Robert.

After a short ride, we reach the diner, and Robert pulls into a parking spot. We get off his motorcycle, and remove our helmets.

“How was the ride?” Robert asks as he gives his bike a glance over before turning to look at me.

I flatten down my helmet hair. “It was uh…certainly something,” I say. “I’m just glad to be back on land again.”

Robert rolls his eyes at my overreaction, but smiles. We head into the diner.

I am immediately hit by the smell of bacon and coffee, and my stomach growls. The sounds of silverware clinking against plates surround us as we find a booth and sit down. A waitress quickly makes her way over to us and hands out menus, but I already knew what I wanted, and it seems that Robert did, too. She takes our order of coffee, bacon, hash browns, and the works. She walks away and disappears behind the counter. We sit in silence.

I look around the diner. There are a few people milling about, talking to friends and the workers behind the counter, but most people are sitting and enjoying their food. I wonder if Robert comes here often, and if he knows any of the staff members.

The waitress soon returns with our coffees. She eyes our helmets for a moment, but does not say anything. She flashes us a smile, leaves, and soon returns with our brunches. I wonder what that was all about.

We eat in pleasant silence. Occasionally I glance over at Robert. He has changed clothes since I last saw him this morning, and it looks like he showered. I smile as I take another slow drink of my coffee, trying not to burn the roof of my mouth. I am glad to see that he has been taking care of himself every day, and not just every other day, or a few times a week.

Robert notices me looking at him. He clears his throat. “What do you got planned for today?”

I place my mug back on the table. “Well, I have weekends off, thankfully, so not too much, really.” I pause to think for a moment. “Maybe watch some Long Haul Paranormal Ice Road Ghost Truckers.”

Robert nods his head.

“I think I have to go and fight a ghost at some point as well,” I say seriously, though my eyes glint playfully. “I forget what time I scheduled that for.”

I eat a small forkful of hash browns before speaking again. “Just usual stuff.”

Robert grins at me after taking a sip of coffee. “Sounds cool, Dadsona,” he says.

We go back to eating brunch, and eventually finish our meal. After paying and grabbing our helmets, we leave the diner and get back onto Robert’s motorcycle. I am still nervous, but not as shaky as last time.

Robert turns around and gives me a smile. “You’re doing fine,” he says. I return his smile with my own anxious one, and nod my head.

I wrap my arms around him once more, and we make our way back to the cul-de-sac. He pulls into my driveway, and I unsteadily get off the motorcycle. We both remove our helmets.

“You all right?” Robert asks, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Y-yeah,” I say while rubbing my wind-lashed neck, and savoring the solid ground beneath my feet. “I’m good.”

I look at Robert, and cover the hand he placed on my shoulder with my own. “Thanks for the night, and for brunch.”

Robert averts his gaze from mine. I furrow my eyebrows together, suddenly worried, but I do not dare to ask what is wrong just yet. His hand tenses under mine.

“Do you want to…” he starts to say, but stops himself. I watch as he slowly takes in a breath of air. “Can I stay over and watch some Ice Road Ghost Truckers with you?”

Oh. “Sure, Robert.” I do not have any reason to say no.

After making sure that he has everything with him, Robert follows me to my door. I take out my keys and let us both into my house.

“Make yourself at home,” I say, closing the front door behind us.

Robert slowly walks into the living room and sits down on the couch. He gazes around my house, looking at the knick-knacks and photographs scattered around the room. I excuse myself to my bedroom for a moment to put my phone and keys away.

I quickly drop my stuff off on my desk. Just as I take a step forward to leave my bedroom, my mind wills me to hang back for a moment. I think about how uneasy Robert seemed when we got here, right before he asked if he could stay for a while. I cannot help but wonder why he was so nervous, if it has anything to do with me, or if it was something that I have done.

I cannot linger for too long. I give the room a once-over to make sure everything is in order, and try to convince myself that I am definitely not stalling for time.

Taking a deep breath, I leave my bedroom and head down the hall to join Robert.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been one year after Robert and Dadsona agree to be only friends as Robert betters himself. Amanda has gone off to college, leaving Dadsona alone in their cul-de-sac home. One night, Dadsona gets messages from Robert, asking--demanding--for them to hang out. Dadsona never in his wildest dreams expected what would then happen when he and Robert are together that night, nor did he know what the next day would hold in store for him.
> 
> Dadsona has no name, and is referred to as Dadsona in the fic. If you'd like, feel free to replace "Dadsona" with the name of your dad.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

My mind stirs with a thousand thoughts as I walk back to my living room, where Robert is currently sitting on my couch. Why was he so nervous asking if he could stay and watch some Ice Road Ghost Truckers together with me?

I push the question out of my mind, and immediately think of a bigger question. Why is Robert spending so much time with me today? Not that I mind it at all, of course! It is just… after we hang out, it usually ranges from a few days to a few weeks until Robert contacts me next, or I send a Dadbook message to check up on him.

Thinking of this reminds me of an incident months ago where Robert was not answering any of my messages. I considered speaking to Mary and asking if she had talked to him lately, but I did not think much of his silence until an entire month passed and I still had not heard anything from him.

I ended up getting to the point where I was so worried for him that I almost went over to his house, uninvited, to make sure he was okay.

But eventually one night I finally heard a notification from my Dadbook. I rushed to my computer, a spoon of ice cream still in my mouth. I read the message, and immediately accepted Robert’s invitation to hang out at his house. I do not think I have ever changed into nice clothes faster in my life than I did that night.

I left my home, and walked through the brisk evening air to his house. He must have been waiting for me, because he opened his door just as I got to his front door pathway. I entered his house, and he closed the door behind me.

We sat on his couch in silence for a full five minutes before either of us spoke.

I could not help but be upset. “Robert…where have you been lately?” My heart surged with anger. I tried my best to hold it back, doing all I could to not start an argument right then and there. “Why couldn’t you send a message my way, just to let me know that you’ve been safe?”

Robert tried to answer me. I could not help but ramble on and talk over him, words spilling from my mouth fretfully as I tried to make sense of why he was contacting me now after being silent for an entire month.

“Even just a ‘sorry, can’t talk, I’m still alive though’ would have sufficed. Robert, I was worried!”

Tears swam in my eyes. Oh no, I had thought to myself. Not now.

Robert grabbed my shoulders. I looked away, rapidly trying to blink back the tears.

“Dadsona,” he said gently, “I just got back from visiting Val.”

All of the thoughts in my head that were talking simultaneously went silent. “Shit,” I said, looking back at him. “I…”

I had to swallow back the lump in my throat to be able to speak again. “I’m so sorry for overreacting, Robert. I thought something had happened to you.”

He squeezed my shoulder gently. “It’s okay,” he said.

He was being extremely calm, and I almost questioned whether he was in a sane state of mind or not.

“Maybe I should have told you.” He paused. “Yeah, I should have told you before I left.” Robert took in a deep breath. “I’m sorry, too.”

We sat in silence for another few minutes. I had to let my emotions simmer back down before continuing the conversation.

I took one of his hands in my own. “What happened?” I finally asked.

He looked down. “We…had a really long talk. About a lot of stuff.”

I nodded my head, urging him to go on.

“And…she said she really appreciates the effort I’m putting into life now.” He hesitated, and it almost seemed as if he was embarrassed telling me this. “Both in, uh…her life, and my own.”

I smiled and leaned forward, nearing myself to him. “I’m really happy for you, Robert.”

The smallest hint of a blush developed on his cheeks.

I smiled even larger. “I’m glad you’re making friends with existence.”

He smiled back at me, and we enjoyed the rest of the night together.

Ever since then, we have never gone another month without messaging each other. Yet, we have never spent an entire day together, either. I wonder if today will be the first…?

I find myself standing near my couch. Robert is looking my way, giving me a confused look. I must have spaced out. I sit down next to him.

But the question still bothers me; I have to ask it. I place a hand on his arm to hold his attention on me, for he was in the process of turning his head to glance at something else. He looks back at me.

“Um.” I just have to go for it. “Why did you want to hang out again? I don’t think we’ve ever hung out in the morning before.”

Robert does not miss a beat. “I’ve been trying to protect you from any lurking cryptids.”

I nod solemnly. “What did you do?”

He sighs, takes my hand off his arm, and holds it. “I may have pissed one or two off, and I’m worried they’ll come back for vengeance,” he admits.

Our gazes meet, and we both burst into laughter.

“All right,” I say, after our laughter has quieted down. “Should we watch some Ice Road Ghost Truckers now?”

“I’d like nothing more.”

I turn on the episode that I had begun watching last night before I crawled into bed. We sink into the couch as it plays. While Callum drives, Flynt is trying to communicate with a new ghost that hopped in their truck for a ride. The episode follows their escapade of almost losing traction on the ice roads and crashing because of the ghost, and having to make a bargain with it so that it will leave. A classic.

As the episode finishes and we start the next one, I cannot help but think about how rare it is for Robert and I to be hanging out during the day. I know I already asked him about it, but it still bugs me. I can only do so much to keep myself from constantly looking over at him. For all I know, he could up and leave whenever he wants. Perhaps I just imagined him coming over in the first place.

It seems that Robert knows I have been looking at him, because he glances over at me before I am able to wipe the nervousness from my face.

“Dadsona,” he says gently, “I was kidding about pissing off cryptids, you know.”

He pauses, and I look at him once more.

“But if that did happen,” he continues, “I’d warn you about it much more in advance.”

I smile. “I know you were kidding. I wasn’t worried about that.” I hesitate. I should not worry him with my thoughts. There does not have to be a specific reason for him to hang out with me during the day. Or does there…? I shake my head inwardly. “I’m fine.”

Robert raises a skeptical eyebrow at me, but does not push the issue.

We watch the rest of the episode. As the credits play, I wonder what to do about lunch.

“Whatever you’d like to do, Dadsona,” Robert says casually.

Shit. I glance at him, and he looks back at me curiously. Did I say that aloud?

“O-okay. Um, well, I guess we can look around the kitchen for something,” I say.

Robert nods. We hoist ourselves out of the comfort of my couch, and I lead him into the kitchen. He seats himself at the table as I look around through the cabinets and search around the refrigerator, deciding on what to serve for food. I cannot let my culinary skills fail me this time.

Eventually I lay out some bread, lunch meats, toppings, and condiments on the table in front of Robert. “Want to make sandwiches?” I ask.

Robert does not answer. He simply takes some bread, puts it on one of the plates I brought out, and begins to looks through what I was able to rummage up. I do the same.

We both pick out the main ingredients of our sandwiches at the same time. I glance over at what he chose, and then look back down at my sandwich.

“What?” asks Robert.

I gaze at him, surprised he even saw that I had been looking in his direction. After a brief moment of thought, I decide to make our sandwich-making experience a bit more fun.

“It’s just …I would have folded that the other way,” I say teasingly.

Robert rolls his eyes at me. “I wouldn’t have used that specific piece of bread for the base of my sandwich like you did,” he retorts.

We banter back and forth for the few minutes it takes us to build sandwiches. When we finish, I take a minute to put all of the leftovers away, and then I sit down at the table with Robert. We dig into our sandwiches. I am glad that I thought of making sandwiches, and did not have to resort to combining a hodgepodge of snacks together and considering it a meal.

I take another bite of my sandwich. I think back to my question of why Robert is still here, and suddenly find it coming out of my mouth again.

“Why are you still hanging out with me?”

Robert looks at me mid-bite, caught off guard by my question. He places his sandwich down and finishes chewing.

I keep talking. “Not that I don’t want you to, of course,” I say, “But we usually hang out during the night and I’m just not really sure to make of the change. I mean, if something has changed at all. I don’t know, and—“

“I understand, Dadsona,” he says, cutting me off.

I really have to stop doing that.

He is silent for a few moments, mulling over what to say. He must be realizing that this is why I have seemed so nervous since we came back from the diner. “I’m trying something… new out for a change.”

I take in his words. “Oh.” Maybe I am thinking too much into it. “Is it a…good change?” I ask.

Robert smiles at me. “It’s a good change.”

I smile back. “Good to know,” I say.

“At least, it’s probably a good change.”

When I see his grin, I roll my eyes. I elbow his shoulder, and he nudges me back. We continue to eat our sandwiches.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been one year after Robert and Dadsona agree to be only friends as Robert betters himself. Amanda has gone off to college, leaving Dadsona alone in their cul-de-sac home. One night, Dadsona gets messages from Robert, asking--demanding--for them to hang out. Dadsona never in his wildest dreams expected what would then happen when he and Robert are together that night, nor did he know what the next day would hold in store for him.
> 
> Dadsona has no name, and is referred to as Dadsona in the fic. If you'd like, feel free to replace "Dadsona" with the name of your dad.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the second to last chapter! I hope you enjoy!

My cheeks grow warm as Robert watches me finish my sandwich. I wish he would not observe me so intently. The silence becomes uncomfortable. The air is sucked out of my lungs. Why must he torture me so? I finish eating as quickly as I can without choking on my lunch, and then take both of our plates to the sink.

Robert rises from his chair. As we walk down the hallway back to my living room, he grabs my hand. I almost stumble, but gracefully lean against the wall and turn back to look at him, pretending that I did that sequence of actions on purpose.

He looks amused. “Speaking of ghost hunting, though,” he says, “Wanna go tonight, Dadsona?”

I chew on my bottom lip, avoiding the area that Robert bit. “So we can actually piss off ghosts?” I ask, and then slightly shake my head. “I don’t know…”

“It’ll be fun,” Robert says, giving my hand a squeeze. “I’ll give you my wooden knife for a backup weapon to go with the folding knife.”

Laughter spills from my lips.

Robert narrows his eyes. “Why are you laughing? It’s serious protocol to have a wooden backup knife.”

My laughing turns into coughing as I try to stop it. “N-no,” I manage through a large smile, “I know.”

He smiles with me.

I mull over the proposition for another moment. “Well, I can’t let you go alone, can I?”

Robert shrugs. “How does 11 o’clock sound? The cemetery?”

“I’m good with that, Robert.”

It seems that this is the end of his stay. I walk him to the door.

“Thanks for the lunch. See you soon.”

He opens my front door. I watch as he hesitates, and turns back towards me. I take a step forward and meet him midway as he leans to kiss me. I smile into the kiss.

I wave goodbye, and Robert flashes me a smile before stepping outside. He shoves his hands into his pockets, and, after glancing back at me once more, starts the walk back to his house. I close my front door.

Well, it seems that I now have plans for tonight. I slowly walk to my couch and sit down. Did I really just set myself up to hunt ghosts tonight with Robert? I might have to stretch before I go. My mind races. Is it too early to back out already?

I take a deep breath. Robert will be right. This will be fun.

But…this will be our third time hanging out together in the past twenty-four hours. Though he answered my question of why he wanted to hang out, his answer was rather vague. I cannot complain, though. I am always happy to be able to be with him. And I look forward to seeing him again tonight.

I look around the house. Well…what do I do now…? I did not exactly have anything elaborate planned for the day.

I wander to my room and look at the stack of papers on my desk. I should probably do a little bit of work. I sigh, head over to the kitchen for a moment to grab a drink, and then stroll back to my room. Placing down the cup, I pull out my chair and sit at my desk.

I stare down at the papers. It takes me a few moments before I am able to make myself pick up the stack and start to work.

Two hours later and halfway through my paperwork, I have to stop and take a break. I grab my cup, stand up, and take a well-deserved, long drink. Looking back down at the papers scattered across my desk, I let out a deep breath. All right, maybe I can call it a day for doing paperwork. I drink another mouthful of water, and then place the cup down so that I can organize everything I have done into one pile, and everything I have yet to do into another.

I quickly finish filing papers, and, taking my cup and phone with me, leave my room. I wander into the living room and sit down on the couch, wondering what I should do now to pass the time. My eyes wander to my phone. Last night’s conversation with Amanda suddenly comes to mind. My cheeks flush with embarrassment; I should call and apologize.

I dial my daughter’s phone number and listen to the phone ring. It is a Saturday, so hopefully I am not disturbing anything too important. I try not to think about the time I called her while she was in the middle of class.

“Hello?”

I smile at the sound of her voice. “Amanda, hi!”

“Hey dad, what’re you doing?” She sounds pretty cheerful. It immediately perks my mood.

“Just the—“

“Other than Robert, that is,” she says teasingly.

I blush. “Amanda!”

“Oh come on, dad, what’s a daughter to assume after hearing what she did last night?”

“I’ll have you know I was calling so we could talk about that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” I pause and let a moment of silence pass. “Uh… I’m sorry.”

Amanda laughs. “It’s fine, Dadtron.”

“I’m not sorry about the dad jokes, though.”

“It’s not fine, dad.”

I laugh. “But really, I’m sorry you had to hear that. It was an…interesting night.”

I can hear her smile through the phone’s receiver. “Sounded like it,” she says.

I roll my eyes. “I hope you were able to get enough sleep last night. You were up late too, it seems.”

“Yeah, I know. Well hey, Dadtron, I gotta go. My camera is calling me to take pictures.”

“Okay. Call you later, sweetie.”

I do not have to see her to know that she is sticking her tongue out at her phone. “Okay, dad. Bye!”

We hang up. I smile to myself, glad to know that Amanda is doing well, and that she survived the so-called best burrito she had last night. I glance at my watch, and wonder what I should do with the time I have before eating dinner. I take another sip of water and stare at my television.

Well, Ice Road Ghost Truckers is always available for me to watch. The temptation is too much. I turn on another episode and nestle into my couch.

Before I know it, a few hours have passed and the sun is beginning to slowly dip down through the sky. My stomach growls at me. I turn off the TV and wander into the kitchen.

If I am going to be hunting ghosts tonight, I should probably try to make something substantial to eat. I look through the refrigerator, open some cabinets, and then rummage through the refrigerator again. Nothing catches my eye. My stomach growls anew. I close the refrigerator door, and then repeat my searching process.

Eventually I scrounge up enough ingredients to make myself a simple meal. I sit down at the table and eat a forkful of spaghetti, wondering what I should do next to pass the time. I could watch more episodes of Ice Road Ghost Truckers…but I would probably lose track of the time again. Maybe more paperwork? I laugh at myself, and place down my fork for a moment to take a drink of water. I will complete my desk work some day, but that day, unfortunately, is not going to be today.

I soon finish eating, and find myself wandering around the house. I head into my room and, eyeing the paperwork on my desk warily, sit down and turn on my computer monitor. Mouse in hand, I browse the internet for a while. I read posts, look at memes that Amanda has introduced me to, and watch too many cat videos.

When I check the time next, I scramble out of my chair and switch off my monitor. It is almost 11 PM; I need to get ready and go outside to meet Robert.

I pick up my keys and pocket them alongside my wallet. I search around for my phone, but am unable to find it. Where did I leave it? I retrace my steps through the day, and find it on the living room table. I pocket my phone.

I double check to ensure that I have everything I will need, and then I check to make sure everything will be okay at my house for the night. Once satisfied, I make sure to grab a jacket, and then I leave the house.

I look over at Robert’s house and see him ambling down the sidewalk towards me. I give him a small wave, and decide to meet him halfway.

“Hey,” I say once our paths cross.

“Hey,” responds Robert. “Ready for some hunting?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I laugh nervously.

He gives me a reassuring smile. “I’ll watch your back, chief.”

The air is cool and dry as we make our way to Maple Bay’s cemetery. As we reach the gates, Robert grabs one of my hands briefly, and then lets go. My fingers caress the object he left in the palm of my hand; its rough edges kiss my skin. The wooden knife.

“Thanks,” I say, flashing Robert a smile. “I promise to put it to good use.”

“Wash the blood from it before you give it back.”

I laugh. Robert raises an eyebrow at me. “Of course,” I say.

We go through the gates and enter the cemetery. I notice Damien sitting on a blanket near one of the headstones. I catch Robert’s attention and gesture towards him.

Damien notices me looking his way, and waves us over. I look at Robert, and he shrugs his shoulders. We walk up to Damien’s blanket.

“Dadsona, Robert,” he greets us with a smile, “So lovely to see you this fine evening.”

“Hey, Damien,” I say.

“What’s up?” asks Robert.

“Simply admiring the night and doing some writing.”

“Yeah?” I ask, “What kind?”

Is it just me, or is Damien blushing? “Um…j-just…it’s a short novelette. A romance story. A Victorian romance story.”

“Oh, nice!”

“What brings you two here tonight?” questions Damien.

“Uh…” I glance over at Robert for help. I am sure he does not want it to be common knowledge that we have come out to hunt for ghosts.

“Taking a walk around the area. Thought I’d show Dadsona some of the old gravestones,” says Robert.

“That sounds quite nice! Well, I simply wished to say hello. Do not let me hold you two from your activities.”

“See ya.”

I give Damien a smile. “Have a nice night, Damien,” I say.

We leave Damien, and Robert leads me deeper into the cemetery. I gaze at headstones as we pass them, reading names and admiring designs, and eventually look back up at Robert. “So, where do we start?” I ask.

As Robert thinks for a moment, I look back in the direction we came from. It seems that Damien is now leaving but…wait…is that a tour group?

“Well,” he says, “we can start by—“

“Rob, look!”

He gives me a distasteful look for using his nickname, but he looks in the direction that I am pointing. He sees the tour group. We exchange devious grins.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I ask.

“Let’s do it, Dadsona.”

Robert grabs ahold of my hand and quickly leads me to the mausoleum. We hide behind it, and Robert peeks around the corner.

“They’re at the gates,” he whispers.

I nod my head. We wait a few more moments so that the tour guide at least has a chance to introduce the cemetery.

Suddenly Robert emits a loud, deep growl; it frightens me for a second. I start whispering gibberish to Robert. We both try to hold back our laughter as we continue for another ten seconds, and then gently fade the noises to silence.

The tour guide has stopped talking. I glimpse around the mausoleum and see nervous faces on the entire group, including the guide.

“P-probably just some passing wildlife, no need to be alarmed,” says the guide nervously.

I look back at Robert, who seems to be having a great time. We hear the tour guide continue his usual spiel about the cemetery. We let him talk for a few more moments, and then start growling again. Robert lets out the most ungodly screech I have ever heard. I flinch, and he grins at me. We can hear the panic arising in the group.

Suddenly, I know what I must do. I return Robert’s grin with one of my own, and then peek back out at the tour. Taking a deep breath, I kneel down into a running position.

“Dadsona…? What are you—“

I rush out from behind the mausoleum and flail my arms, a wild look in my eyes. I let out a scream, making eye contact with members of the group.

“It’s here,” I yell, “It’s here!”

A lot of the tour members start to panic. The guide is barely able to contain the chaos.

“The Dover Ghost is coming!” I pull out my wooden knife. I glance behind me, stumbling for a moment and threatening the ‘apparition’ with the knife, and then continue to weave through gravestones. Time for the killing blow. “Run!”

Any last bits of authority that the guide held over his group dissipates as they scatter. The tour guide himself glances over at me one last time before fleeing with everyone else. I cannot help but burst into laughter.

I start to jog back towards Robert, wooden knife still in hand. Robert is doubled over with laughter. When he sees me heading over to him, he trots towards me. We meet at the gates of the cemetery.

We look at each other, and start laughing together. I have to hold onto Robert’s shoulder for support.

“Dadsona,” Robert says between giggles, “I’ve never seen anything so great like that before.”

I give him my biggest smile. That is huge praise, especially coming from Robert. But I have to play it off smoothly. “Glad you think so,” I say. Nailed it.

Our eyes lock once more and we end up laughing again, and then laughing at the fact that the other person cannot stop laughing. I do not think I have ever heard Robert laugh so much before. It takes another few minutes before we are able to calm down. I have to wipe tears from my eyes.

“I think maybe we’ll hold off ghost hunting to another day,” suggests Robert.

“Sounds good,” I say, nodding my head.

“How does a quick drink to steady our nerves sound, then?”

“At Jim & Kim’s?”

Robert rolls his eyes at me. “Where else?”

“Well, there’s that Irish pub we went to once, and I’m sure—“

He pats my shoulder. “Buddy.”

I know. He knew I was just clarifying, and I know he was just kidding.

I wrap an arm around his waist, and Robert lays his arm across my shoulders. We walk off into the distance towards Jim & Kim’s familiar bar.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been one year after Robert and Dadsona agree to be only friends as Robert betters himself. Amanda has gone off to college, leaving Dadsona alone in their cul-de-sac home. One night, Dadsona gets messages from Robert, asking--demanding--for them to hang out. Dadsona never in his wildest dreams expected what would then happen when he and Robert are together that night, nor did he know what the next day would hold in store for him.
> 
> Dadsona has no name, and is referred to as Dadsona in the fic. If you'd like, feel free to replace "Dadsona" with the name of your dad.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

When we arrive at Jim & Kim’s, Robert takes his arm off my shoulder. I pause, but take his cue and unwrap my arm from around his waist. He straights out his leather jacket and notices when I pull my jacket closer to my body.

“You good?” he asks.

“Yeah,” I say. I gesture vaguely towards the sky. It was only a cold breeze of air, nothing to worry about. But it makes me happy to know that he noticed and cared enough to point out such a small reaction. “Let’s head in.”

I follow Robert through Jim & Kim’s front door. He immediately heads over to the bar and orders two whiskeys, so I maneuver my way through the bar patrons and claim a booth for us. I brush a few crumbs off the table. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mary at one of the freestanding tables. I wave at her, and when she notices me, she excuses herself and saunters over, joining me at the booth. She leaves behind a young man who now looks relatively relieved to be free from her grasps.

Mary places her glass of red wine on the table and sits in the booth on the opposite side of me. “Ahoy there, skipper,” she says warmly, “Long time no see.”

I smile. “Hey, Mary.”

Robert slides into the booth next to me, and passes me a glass of whiskey. I pick it up and take a sip, trying to avoid letting the amber liquid burn my healing bite wound.

“What are you two boys up to tonight?” she asks.

“The usual stuff,” Robert replies, “We went to the cemetery to bait some ghosts but got sidetracked.” He does not elaborate on what we actually ended up doing. It is probably for the best.

Mary raises an arched eyebrow. “Jeez. At least don’t lead them to the cul-de-sac, Rob. I try my best to keep my house ghost-free.”

Robert smiles and takes a drink of whiskey. “Sorry, can’t make any promises.”

She rolls her eyes at Robert and flashes a smile in my direction while I am in the middle of taking a long drink of whiskey. “Don’t let him get himself killed, Dadsona.”

I smile back at her and place my glass down on the table. “Of course not,” I say. “Though, if he’s not spending time with me, he’s with you. You’ve had more experience watching over him than I have, so I probably don’t even have to tell you to make sure he doesn’t get himself killed.”

Robert scoffs. “I don’t need—“

“Oh?” She laughs. “So you’re saying I’m just as irreplaceable?”

Robert speaks before I can. “Couldn’t get rid of either of you if I tried.”

My gaze meets Mary’s, and we share a laugh. It is quiet for a few moments, so I decide to break the silence with a deep-seated question that I have had since the first night I moved to Maple Bay.

“So,” I say. Both Robert and Mary look up from their drinks at me. “Is there really no Jim or Kim that runs this bar?”

Robert heartily laughs; he must remember when I asked the same question the night that we met.

Mary rolls her eyes at me. “It’s mainly just Neil,” she says.

“We should petition for it to be called Neil & Staff, then.”

Robert giggles, and Mary gives me a half-hearted smile. She eyes my empty glass that I am slowly sliding across the table from hand to hand.

“Well hey, I won’t hold you two back any longer from jumping back into the fringe with ghosts,” she says, and then looks out of our booth and back at the table she came from. She looks disappointed, but not surprised, that the young man has fled. “Mary needs to sink her teeth into a new helpless boy.”

Robert nods his head. “See ya, Mary. Go with God.”

“Bye,” I say with a smile.

I watch for a moment as Mary leaves the booth and gazes around for new prey. When I see her eye a man who looks barely old enough to be at a bar, I turn away. That is not something I want to watch. I look back at Robert. He is finishing off his whiskey.

“Wanna head out, Dadsona?” he asks.

“Lead the way,” I respond.

We weave through the usual barflies and make our way out of Jim & Kim’s. Once outside, we start walking in the direction of our houses. We do not talk, but the silence is comfortable, as usual. I do not think I ever truly appreciated silence until I met and began to hang out with Robert. I listen to the gentle, ambient sounds of animals and the rustling of leaves as we head down the street.

As we near the cul-de-sac, I gaze over at Robert. His eyes scan our surroundings rapidly. I watch as he fidgets with the right sleeve of his jacket, but I look away when he glances my way. Why has he been so nervous today?

I look around to see where we are, and realize that we have arrived at Robert’s house. I prepare myself to say goodbye.

“Dadsona,” he says. I direct my attention back towards Robert. “Do you um…want to…spend the night together again?”

Though I do enjoy when we are together, I am not sure what to make of him wanting to spend so much time with me. I narrow my eyes suspiciously. “Are you planning to finally harvest my organs?"

He grimly gives a nod of assent.

I offer Robert an aghast look. “Fine,” I say, tossing my head dramatically. “Let’s go to your house so my daughter doesn’t have to return home to the sight of my demise.”

Robert chuckles uneasily, and walks up to his front door. He unlocks it and lets me inside. Betsy’s tiny paws immediately assault my legs. As Robert closes the door behind us, I melodramatically fall to the floor. Betsy climbs onto my chest. I give her a few pats, but drop my hand when Robert looks at us.

“I’ve been slain by your dog,” I tell him.

Robert smiles and rolls his eyes. “Need me to carry you to safety?"

I blush. I do not accept, but I do not refuse his offer, either. So Robert kneels down and calls Betsy over to him. She skitters his way and gladly accepts his pats. I rise to a sitting position and watch as Betsy basks in all of the attention she is getting.

After a full, satisfying minute of being patted, Betsy trots away from Robert and wanders towards her water to have a drink.

We both watch her for a moment, me delaying my demise, and Robert delaying getting up, I presume, because of his nerves. Eventually, though, we both rise to our feet, and sit down on one of Robert’s couches.

I throw my arms wide open and playfully succumb to my fate. “Do your worst, Robert.”

He gently smiles at me and laughs. Instead of pulling out his knife and harvesting my insides, he places a hand on my chest, leans over, and kisses me. I smile and kiss him back. I relax into his arms and before I know it we are lying on his couch, arms securely wrapped around each other, intensely kissing. His stubble scuffs my face and even though I am fully aware that my cheeks may end up tender in the morning, I do not care.

Robert’s teeth graze my bottom lip and I gasp as a small shock surges through my day-old bite. Robert immediately pulls away, though his eyes never leave my face.

“Fuck, I’m sorry,” he says, hoisting himself back into a sitting position.

I follow suit and sit next to him. I shake my head. “It’s fine. It’s healing really well, actually.” I blush. “You just ah…surprised me.”

Robert releases a shaky breath. “I just…wanted to make sure.”

He looks away from me, and I cannot help but stare at him while he silently mulls to himself. I have never before seen him as nervous as I have during these past few times we have hung out. There must be something on his mind for him to be like this, I know it. He said he is trying out something new, and I wonder what that something is…if there even is a something. I wonder if that is truly the reason he wanted to hang out in the first place.

We sit in silence. It is a little awkward. I play with a button on my jacket and watch as Robert nervously runs a hand through his hair.

The quiet is too much.

“Robert—“

“So, Dadsona—“

We end up speaking simultaneously. I close my mouth and gesture for him to speak. He takes in a deep breath, and fidgets with the covering on his couch.

“I know we, uh, talked about going… romantic.”

I slowly nod my head. I wonder if he can hear how loud my heartbeat is right now.

“And so…I uh…wanted to make it official.”

My mind sings and my heart flutters giddily in my chest. I never thought he would ask verbally, but hearing it aloud makes it all the better. My answer is undisputable. I take Robert’s hand in my own and kiss his forehead, solely because I know he does not like it. When I pull away, however, his eyes shine happily.

I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. “Robert, of course.” I give him a smile. “I’d love to be your boyfriend.”

He blushes, and my smile grows. He leans towards me and we kiss for a long moment before we are interrupted by a beep emitting from my phone. I ignore it at first, but it insistently beeps again. I pull slightly away.

“Sorry,” I sheepishly say. He waves off my apology.

I take my phone out and check the message I received. Hey, a text from Amanda!

**Hey Dadtron, thought I’d text you this time to avoid any embarrassment for the both of us. Just wanted to let you know I’ll be coming home next weekend to grab a few things that I forgot and to pet some dogs. TTYL**

I blush. If only Amanda knew what she had interrupted. But…

“T-t-y-l…?” I question aloud.

Robert laughs, and nabs my phone to read the message for himself. I sit there, aghast, elbows on my knees and hands covering my cheeks.

“I-I…I thought I was hip and in-the-know…”

My words only make Robert laugh harder. He hands me back my phone after he has finished reading, and pats me on the back.

“Don’t worry,” he tells me, “You’re cooler than most dads, Dadsona. You’ll be a cool dad to Amanda for a long time.”

I offer him a smile, and we share a nice dad bonding moment that only two cool dads would be able to share.

I send off a message to Amanda:

**Hi Amanda, thanks for letting me know! I’ll set up a meeting with Damien for you so you can have the maximum amount of dog petting before you leave again to go back. CYA then**

I immediately receive a reply.

**Rad! Thanks, dad!**

I smile and put my phone away. We settle back into silence.

After a few minutes, a certain weirdness hovers in the air. I glance over at Robert and see that his face is agitated, and his eyebrows are furrowed intensely together. My protective senses kick in and immediately I start to worry.

“Hey,” I say, placing a hand on his arm to catch his attention, “Everything okay, Robert…?”

He remains silent, and does not even acknowledge my question. Just as I am about to take my hand off his arm, he covers it with his own.

He still does not look at me even as he talks. “You know why I wanted to hang out so much today, Dadsona?”

I know what he told me earlier today. But the real reason…? “Uh, no, not really.”

Robert’s hand quivers, and I hold it tighter. “W-well, I um…I didn’t want to lose my courage.”

Okay, he has lost my understanding of what he means instead. “Your courage for…?”

He remains silent.

I try to think of things he could possibly be so nervous about that include me. Things that require us to be together and, assumedly, at either my or his house…

After a minute, realization washes over me.

My cheeks redden. “O-oh,” I stutter. But then I playfully grin at him. “Didn’t really take you for the nervous type, given what’s happened with us together in the past.”

Robert finally looks over at me.

All of his toughness and stubbornness has melted from his face, and his expression is sincere. The badass, cool façade I have gotten to know is gone and has been replaced with a man who deeply cares for others. I have seen moments and hints of this Robert before, but I do not think I have ever seen more than just small glimpses. I believe I am seeing Robert as Robert, not Robert as the man who drinks whiskey, hunts cryptids, and does not like being talked to, but the Robert who protects his friends, watches movies and stays until the credits finish, and bandages wounds with a hidden gentleness.

“I just…” he says quietly, “Want to make sure that I’m giving, not taking.”

He pauses for a long moment. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

My heart nearly bursts with emotion. I cannot hold myself back; I kiss him.

Robert kisses me back, and I caress his unshaven face. We end up lying back down on the couch. He glides a hand up my shirt and plants kisses on my jawline, and then down my neck.

I pull away for a moment to take off my jacket. Robert gives me a suggestive look when I take his jacket off as well. Our lips meet again as I lay my head back down on the couch.

Our kisses deepen, and Robert’s hands begin to get a little frisky. I tangle my fingers into his hair and gently tug. Just as my shirt is about to come off, Robert abruptly stops kissing me, his eyes now looking elsewhere in the room. I glance around, dazed, and see that Betsy has come into the room.

“Um,” I say.

Betsy picks up one of her toys, eyes us for the longest second of my life, and then slowly trots out of the room.

Robert looks back down at me. “Gotta protect her innocence,” he says with a straight face.

I stare at his serious face for half a second after he speaks before I can no longer hold in my laughter. Robert smiles softly at the sound of my giggles. When I am able to calm down, he kisses me more and I kiss back, eagerly. My shirt finally comes off, tossed onto the arm of the couch. He kisses down my neck, teeth grazing my skin and giving me goose bumps, and when he bites down I can barely hold back a moan. He moves a hand slowly down to my hips and gently squeezes.

I reach a hand towards his belt buckle, fingers brushing the worn leather and warm metal. But…something in my mind makes me hesitate. I stop myself, and retract my hand. Robert looks up at me, confused as to why I held back.

“I…” I do not know how to ask this. But I have to know. I have to be absolutely certain. “Are you sure?”

Robert gives me a gentle smile, and nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck for a moment. I never thought I would live to see the day that Robert genuinely showed soft affection, and to me, no less. I close my eyes and smile, enjoying the sensation.

“Dadsona,” he says, holding me close in his arms, “I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure in my life.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter of this fic! I had so much fun writing about Dadsona and Robert, and I'm so thankful for the support that the story has received. I hope you (and your Dadsona) had fun romancing Robert! <3


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